Triumphs in life with baby

The other day, I started to write a list of things that I haven’t done since Lucy was born. But, I never got around to posting it on this blog (ironically enough). In the meantime, I got inspired and actually did some of these things! Here are a few new triumphs in life-with-baby:

* Knitting
Actually, I think I did try to knit when Lucy was one week old, but I got about half of a row done and then had to nurse her. I used to “knit almost constantly”:http://www.knittingcircle.org/hats.php. So, the other day I tried knitting while nursing Lucy and watching a movie with Jon — and it worked! Talk about multi-tasking. :)
* Cooking
I did bake a couple of batches of cookies, but it had been a while since I cooked real food. This week, I planned out our meals, went grocery shopping, and then last night Jon and I had a lovely dinner of grilled tuna steaks, eggplant, and potatoes — complete with real napkins, white wine, and a candle. Lucy was very kind to us and napped in her swing during the whole dinner. Amazing!
* Dusting
Call it “nesting,” but I got a bit obsessive about a dusting and vacuuming routine somewhere around month five of this pregnancy. As you may recall from the “dust-bunny extermination project”:/news/2006/bunny-cide/ a few weeks ago, we were having some issues on this front. I got a few minutes together this past week and did some dusting, which was especially satisfying since there was lots to wipe up! I think my latest strategy with cleaning is to do 10- or 15-minute bursts while Lucy is contentedly staring at something high-contrast.
* Gardening
Well, actually I haven’t done anything on this front, but that’s okay. Jon has been doing a great job taking care of the yard — he is my hero! Plus, our super-nice neighbor, Jack, has been taking pity on me and planting a few tomatoes in our planters.

I’m also pleased to note that there are some things I have been able to do over the past seven weeks that I wasn’t sure if I’d squeeze in:

• Daily showers
  Lucy has always given me a few minutes in the bouncy seat to de-stink-ify myself. I think she is happy about it, too.
  * Vacuuming
  Lucy and I did have the aforementioned bunny-cide adventure, and I think we are due for another one!
  * Written thank-you notes.
  I have surprised myself by keeping up with these. It has been lots of fun to send our thanks to so many family and friends who have given gifts to Lucy! (Hopefully I haven’t forgotten any, but if I did, let me know.)
  * Journaling
  When Lucy was about one week old, I started the pattern of “journaling”:http://www.annagram.org/extras/journaling.html at the first or second nursing of the day. I’m glad I’ve found a scheme that works to keep up with this very helpful discipline for me.
  * Kept up with Boyds’ Nest News
  I wasn’t really sure what would happen with this blog once Lucy was born. I would have guessed it was pretty unrealistic to write in it almost daily during these first few weeks. But I’m really glad to have done it. It is probably better than any scrapbook I could have made while waiting for the next baby to arrive! And of course I get to maintain a running conversation with so many of you! Thanks for reading!